Water Resources Act 1963

8 Additional members of river authorities

(1) In this Act "additional members", in relation to a river authority, means members of the authority (including local authority members thereof) appointed in pursuance of the following provisions of this section.

(2) The Yorkshire Ouse and Hull River Authority and the Trent River Authority shall each include one additional member to be appointed by the National Coal Board.

(3) Where it appears to the Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Minister of Transport, in the case of a particular river authority, that, in comparison with the generality of river authorities.—

(a) the authority will have exceptionally important functions relating to navigation, or

(b) the performance of any functions of the authority will affect to an exceptional extent the functions of a navigation authority, harbour authority or conservancy authority in relation to a navigable waterway or harbour in the area of the river authority,

the order establishing the river authority may provide for the appointment by the Minister of Transport of an additional member or members to represent the interests of those affected by the performance of those functions of the river authority.

(4) Where for any year a drainage charge has been raised and levied on occupiers of chargeable hereditaments in a river authority area (whether it has been raised and levied by the river authority or, before the second appointed day, by a river board) the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food may appoint not more than two additional members of the river authority for that area from amongst persons appearing to him to represent occupiers of chargeable hereditaments in that area.

In this subsection " drainage charge " and " chargeable hereditaments " have the same meanings as in Part I of the Land Drainage Act 1961.

(5) Where the membership of a river authority includes one or more members appointed by virtue of subsection (2) or subsection (3) of this section, the order establishing the authority shall provide for the appointment of such additional local authority members (if any) as may be needed to make up the number required by section 6 (2) of this Act; and where that membership includes one or more members appointed by virtue of subsection (4) of this section, there shall also be appointed by or on behalf of the constituent councils, in such manner as the Ministers may direct, such additional local authority members (if any) as may be needed to make up the number so required.